list of judges in the bible in order

There are 80 books in the King James Bible; 39 in the Old Testament, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Testament.. What is not immediately clear is where to place Samson relative to Samuel and Eli. That number may have been given in I Samuel 13:1, but the text there is fragmentary. Of particular relevance here are those conducted at Hazor which confirm that it was ruled by an, In 2019 a pottery sherd was recovered from the Khirbet al-RaI dig site in central Israel that included the name Yrbl (Jerubbaal), the alternative name for Gideon. (Reign of Nebuchadnezzar) Prophets of the Return to Jerusalem. In fact, he begins in 1092 BC, at the 315 year mark. Thus, the fourth year of his reign would be 966 BC. This is a list of films based on Biblical themes arranged chronologically. Thus, I leave it to the reader to choose the one they find the most appealing. ), Gideon (1191-1151 B.C. [6] This is the sum of the years from the entry into Canaan using the numbers from Josephus and the 23 years given in Judges for Tola, [7] The last mention of the Philistines in the historical books is II Kings 18:8, in the reign of Hezekiah; however, they would continue to be a presence in the land until they were finally wiped out by Nebuchadnezzar II. He would campaign in Canaan and beyond almost annually for a period of 19 years, from his 23rd to 42nd reginal years, including one campaign that specifically mentions the Shasu. Before he died, Joshua urged Israel to keep trusting God and obeying His commands, but they didn't. Hatti [Hittites] is pacified; The tribe of kings, and the most preeminent of the 12 tribes in the biblical narrative. While judge is a literalistic translation of the Hebrew term shophet used in the Masoretic text, the position as described is more one of unelected non-hereditary leadership[2] than that of legal pronouncement. This page is not available in other languages. A quick list of the 12 tribes of Israel 1. Option 2 gives us the timeline shown in Figure 4, and we can now move on to the early period. Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson Bonus: the book of 1 Samuel lists Eli the priest, Samuel the prophet, and Samuel's sons as leaders in this respect, too ( 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Samuel 7:15-8:3 ). The conquered land ofCanaanremained dotted with enemy strongholds such asJebus(Jerusalem),GezerandMegiddo, and the Philistine cities ofGaza,Gath,Ashkelon,AshdodandEkronwere little more than a short march away. The Amarna letters are a collection of correspondence between Egypt and foreign powers, primarily from the reign of Pharaoh Akenaten. The first number given in Judges is the 8-year oppression by Cushan-Rishathaim recorded in Judges 3:8. This in turn will require us to both fill in some gaps and identify ways to compress the timeline to fit. The other two options can be represented graphically as shown below in Figures 5 and 6. I also believe that my approach is superior to that of Nolan Jones as it simultaneously reconciles to both scripture and Josephus. This gives a total of only 26 years. All Rights Reserved. So, we should also consider the possibility that Jephthah is reasonably close to that 300-year mark but perhaps somewhat later. The Second Book of Chronicles mentions Amariah and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael). Then, Samsons birth is foretold with the prophecy that, he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5). This implies that Joshua and the elders that outlived him had all perished a mere ten years after the completion of the conquest and Israel had already fallen into sin. These movies can be useful to increase the biblical knowledge but parental guidance is strictly advised because some of the scenes or incidents are created to serve a dramatic purpose and do not follow biblical incidents faithfully. Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: KJV, YLT, DARBY. In the end though, the dates are not very different and should there ever be an archaeological find that produces an approximate date for one of these judges it is unlikely to be precise enough to distinguish between the two proposed timelines. The book of Judges ends with two stories (and the book of Ruth might be considered a third) that take place in this period; but, on the surface, we are not given any specifics that allow us to tie these events to the time of a specific judge. 2So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time, it was there twenty years. Also, Hazor was destroyed approximately 1200 BC, or close to the time where we will place Deborah and Barak. Williamson wrote that if, all the figures given in Judges (years of oppression, years the judges led Israel, years of peace achieved by the judges) are treated as consecutive, then the total duration of the events described in Judges is 410 years. The fact that the years given to Tola (23) and Jair (22) are almost the same is also interesting and may indicate parallel judgeships. Far from being a strong and unified nation, the new inhabitants ofCanaanconsisted of scattered groups of tribal clans, often separated from each other by rival settlements of Canaanites, Amorites and Philistines who had occupied the area before the arrival of the Israelites. Probably no later than the judgeship of Othniel. Josephus has already addressed the overlap between Samuel and Saul, and no further overlaps are possible in the context of the events of I Samuel. [3] See https://patternsofevidence.com/2019/06/01/artifacts-show-biblical-exodus/ for photos and more detail on the Israel Stele, Berlin Pedestal, and Shasu of YHWH name ring. Option 2 is appealing because it does not require what may be an artificial parallelism between Tola and Jair to get the numbers to work out. As it turns out, it gives us almost exactly the 22 years that we are looking for. The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe: The political situation in the Levant during this period is largely one of Egyptian control. But for now, I will proceed with Option 2. Internal chronology. The great temple of Baal Bereth at Shechem shows a destruction by fire in this period, consistent with that attributed to Abimilech in Judges 9. The table below shows where in time the prophets fit within the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. 4. The other Judges are viewed in greater detail in the Book of Judges: 1. So far, we have a total of 410 years from Judges, and 40 years for Eli, for a total of 450 years[2]. 15 Butler, Judges, p. lvii, "The opening refers to the death of Joshua, and the closing refers to the lack of a king.The first thus obviously, refers back to the book of Joshua, a reference made even more clearly in Judges 2:6-12. Also of note, and key to constructing a proper chronology, is that in the Late Period the time allotted to each judge changes from being a spacer between oppressions and likely overlaps those oppressions. This was the sad pattern for the Israelites for almost 400 years. I believe that these are two versions of the same story, with the Judges version providing more color. Things are good all the days of the judge, but once he or she is gone, the people quickly revert to following other gods and the cycle repeats. If You Like these maps please click the button to "Like" us on Facebook. You can use the Bible Reading Record to help you keep track of your reading each day. Shamgar was the third Judge of Israel. However, Cyrus H. Gordon argued that they may have come from among the hereditary leaders of the fighting, landed and ruling aristocracy, like the kings (basileis) in Homer. He was later overthrown during a local conflict, and the classification of Abimelech as a judge is questionable.[13]. The next oppression begins with Thutmose IIIs first campaign into Canaan. The Five Books of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy The first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of the Law, were written by Moses and are considered the foundation of the Jewish faith and the Hebrew bible. The Septuagint however titles him king of Syria-of-Rivers, and Josephus calls him the king of Assyria. 3. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. This verse occurs right after the ark has been returned after its capture by the Philistines. Specifically placing the events of her time, In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath (Judges 5:6). Rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. Consequently, the manuscripts that show 40 years likely reflect either a scribal error or an attempt by a later Christian copyist to align this passage with Acts 13:21. And we cant forget that we still need a number for Samuel or to convince ourselves that his term as a judge completely overlaps that of Eli and the reign of Saul. Archaeological digs have been conducted at many biblical sites in ancient Canaan. We are not given specific reign lengths for each judge as we are in the late period. This area was conquered in the last year of the wilderness period, just months before the entry into the land. Role [ edit] The judge Shamgar slaughters 600 men with an ox goad. Our first, or left-hand bookmark rests on the crossing of the Jordan river by Joshua and the armies of Israel to begin the conquest of Canaan. Most English translations based on the Masoretic Text title him King of Mesopotamia. The Babylonians - Learn about ancient Babylon and the people who lived there. The period of the Judges, therefore, was c. 1200 b.c. One can naturally assume that the final verse points forward to the story of at least one king who would lead the people, not one who would simply do right in his . This would not preclude an oppression by the Philistines, it would just mean that they were acting on their own accord. This also makes sense as the Egyptian dominance in this period was continuous and so it would be unlikely for the Israelites to be left alone for long. The information given in I Kings 6:1 allows us to construct a set of bookends, if you will, for the period of the judges: A beginning and ending date inside of which to attempt to build a chronology. EHUD in Hebrew means: strong. 3.. Next to him Ebud of the Tribe of Benjamine, he was left handed, he slew Eglon that had oppressed Israel 18 years, Judg. I should note that scripture does not specifically record a destruction of Hazor in this period (it does record a destruction by Joshua). They would forget God, the enemy would severely oppress them, they would cry out to God for help, and God would raise up a deliverer (Judge) to free them of their misery. However, this number should be understood as the sum of the years given in scripture and not the actual elapsed time. This section falls into two sections, with a leading group of seven "former judges" and a group of five "latter judges" afterward. 2 Samuel 15:4 4 And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Options 2 and 3 give very similar results, however Option 2 is more consistent with our approach for this period. The message that seems to become evident during the dark period of the judges is that man is inherently sinful and will always revert back to his evil ways, and the Lord will always be there for those who cry out to Him, but forgetting God can only result in bondage and defeat. As noted above, Paul gives Saul a 40-year reign length in Acts 13:21. These are Jephthah (6 years), Ibzan (7 years), Elon (10 years), and Abdon (8 years). The Vulgate follows the Septuagint numbering, while the King James Version follows the numbering of the Masoretic Text. They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. As he is mentioned before the start of the oppression under Jabin and then by Deborah at the end of that oppression, I believe that he reigned in parallel with that oppression and overlapped into Deborahs reign. By the time Amenhotep III takes the throne, Samson is wreaking havoc with the Philistines and by the end of his reign he has seen the defeat of his Philistine vassals at the battle of Mizpah and the rise of the kingdom of Israel under Saul. First judge: Othniel. Similarly, the 300 years given by Jephthah may not be exact. The Old Testament - A Brief Overview. Finally, we enter what I call the Appendix (Judges 17-21): Two additional stories that fall in this period, but are not dated to any particular judge. Table of Contents What is the Book of Judges? Most of the inscription concerns a war with Libya but the last three lines describe a campaign in Canaan: The Berlin Pedestal. Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Naturally, the presence of the Philistines and their predecessors in these coastal cities would be a good reason for Dan to look elsewhere for land. I Samuel 4:18 states that Eli had judged Israel for 40 years. Ive already mentioned Flavius Josephus, but perhaps its time to give him a more formal introduction. So we need to allow adequate time for conquest of Canaan to be completed, and for Joshua and the other elders of Israel to die out. With that in mind, lets get started. Judah "prevailed over his brothers," ( 1 Chronicles 5:2 ), and the tribe's territory included the city of Jerusalem and the holy temple. In fact, Josephus quotes him as saying, for ABOVE three hundred years. This list is a complement to the list in Books of the Latin Vulgate. The Midianites were descended from Abraham through his second wife, Keturah, and recall that Jethro, Moses father-in-law, was a priest of Midian. In this portion of the book we only hear about those judges that did something significant in delivering Israel from an oppressor: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, and finally Gideon. Fortunately, we have another witness to consult to try and fill in these gaps. The First Book of Chronicles mentions Kenaniah and his sons. Verse Concepts. In addition to ignoring Jephthahs 300 year anchor point, Ussher also has a short period of only nine years allotted to Gideons judgeship which doesnt seem to fit with the account in Judges 8:28-32 as it doesnt allow for him to have seventy sons or die, at a good old age. The early period however features a different character in each oppression. 6. approximately 180 years. The Midianites were, according to modern scholarship, a loose confederation of tribes that lived southeast of Israel on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba. Looking at Table 1, Josephus gives us 288 years to fit into this period the years given in Judges plus 35 years from the entry into Canaan until the start of the first oppression (25+18 = 43 to Othniel, the first judge 8 years of oppression = 35). These are the books of the King James Version of the Bible along with the names and numbers given them in the Douay Rheims Bible and Latin Vulgate. Usshers approach to solving the problem of the extra years was to collapse the periods of bondage and peace so that the period of bondage was included in the period of peace as shown above. [1][pageneeded]. For the late period we so far have overlapped the judges with the oppressions as the judges list appears to be continuous and it would be logical to continue to do so here, but it would also be possible to place these judges before the 18-year oppression of the Philistines and Ammon. The 4th year of Solomon's reign mentioned in 1Kings 6:1 marked the completion of the 40 years of King David. ] If this is indeed the correct location, then Cushan was most likely a king of the Mittani, a Hurrian kingdom that would later be absorbed into the Assyrian empire. Early editions of the King James Bible, made, before the standardization of English spelling, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_books_of_the_King_James_Version&oldid=1158412873, The Third Book of Moses, called Leviticus, The Fifth Book of Moses, called Deuteronomy, The First Book of Samuel, otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, The Second Book of Samuel, otherwise called the Second Book of the Kings, The First Book of the Kings, commonly called the Third Book of the Kings, The Second Book of the Kings, commonly called the Fourth Book of the Kings, The Rest of the Chapters of the Book of Esther, which, The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus, The History of the Destruction of Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasses King of Juda when he was holden captive in Babylon, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy, The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, This page was last edited on 3 June 2023, at 23:07. This sherd has been dated to 1100-1050 BC, or about a century after where we would place Gideon, and while it may not be linked to THE Jerubbaal, it does attest to the name. Perhaps we can verify this number or at least understand where it comes from. The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War. The 12 judges in the Bible were the following: Othniel (1373-1334 B.C. Roman Empire Map - The issues with the orthodox, or generally accepted chronology were first raised by Peter James in his 1991 book Centuries of Darkness. 1 Samuel Samuel relates God's establishment of a political system in Israel headed by a human king. In fact, the book of Ruth could be considered a third part of this Appendix, but we wont address that here. The bible is also known as the holy bible , the word of god holy spirit or sacred scriptures and texts. Amose makes his first campaign into Canaan and perhaps as far as Syria in the 22nd year of his reign. Here it seems we are being given the names of all of the judges in a sequence much like the lists of kings in Kings and Chronicles. [3] Coogan says that they were most likely tribal or local leaders, contrary to the Deuteronomistic historian's portrayal of them as leaders of all of Israel,[4] but Malamat pointed out that in the text, their authority is described as being recognized by local groups or tribes beyond their own. The Early Period begins with the first oppression and first judge (Othniel) and continues through to the brief reign of Gideons son Abimilech, covering Judges 3:7 through the end of Chapter 8. ), Shamgar (1262-1247 B.C. Figure 7 shows a composite of the Ussher chronology and that of Nolen Jones, but adjusted for an Exodus in 1446 and 966 as the fourth year of Solomons reign which is the modern consensus following Thiele. This chronological order introduces the full 66 Bible books but according to the description within them. On the downside, he leaves out one judge (Tola) entirely and fails to provide a number for another (Abdon). Ancient Jerusalem - Interactive Study of Jerusalem with Map. 4. [14][pageneeded] Thus, Othniel "judged Israel forty years" (Judges 3:11), Tola "judged Israel twenty-three years" (Judges 10:2), and Jair judged Israel twenty-two years (Judges 10:3). Jephthah 10. 1 Samuel 7:15. For those that want to take the 40 and 80-year periods between judges as exact, we need to trim 22 years from somewhere. With Jephthah in a reasonable place, we can move on to Abimilech and the judges that succeeded him. Frequently the rival groups clashed, and often the Philistines and Canaanites became dominant, demanding subservience from the Israelites. It then provides the overall narrative pattern of the book: Israel forsakes the LORD and serves other gods, the LORD delivers them into the hands of an enemy, the people call on the LORD in their misery, and He sends a judge to deliver them. Yanoam [unknown] is made non-existent. If the dating is correct, this may refer to someone that was named after the famous hero. If You Like these maps please click the button to Like us on Facebook. The differences between the two are highlighted. The Psalms of the two versions are numbered differently. See the article on Psalms for more details. The mention of the Shasu of YHWH in the temple of Amenhotep III does however align with a time that Israel is already in the land, as do the mention of the Habiru in the Amarna letters. A cyclical pattern is regularly recounted in the Book of Judges to show the need for the various judges: apostasy of the Israelite people, hardship brought on as punishment from God, crying out to the Lord for rescue. This seems to fit our requirements. At the same time, there are years missing from the total. Our collection of maps are simple and they are free. The Judges. Second, neither Judges or I Samuel provides a duration for the judgeship of Samuel or the reign of Saul. The next oppressor, for 20 years, is Jabin King of Canaan whose capital was Hazor. Add 40 years for the time in the wilderness, 40 years for David, and 4 for Solomon and the total is 534 54 years greater than the total given in I Kings. Meanwhile, Nolen Jones, recognizing the hard date provided by Jephthah has a different arrangement for Jephthah and the three judges that follow him while agreeing with Ussher on Samson and nearly so on Eli. 3. You can find the original, 2018 version here. The Incredible Bible - First in the BKA Series. 6. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves . The only way to make this fit is for Samsons death to coincide (or nearly so) with the end of that 40-year period of oppression. Note that this solution also gives Samuel a total of 30 years but as 20 alone plus ten overlapping with Saul as opposed to 12 and 18. This is, incidentally, the first time that the Philistines are mentioned in the context of a biblical event. Rather, the account of the battle with Gideon lists two princes, Oreb and Zeeb, and two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Through Samuel's life, we see the rise of the monarchy and the tragedy of its first king, Saul. Ehud Proof of the accuracy of Bible prophecy 100 concise examples of how the Bible's prophets accurately predicted events involving the land and people of Israel, the rise and fall of empires, and the life, mission, death and resurrection of the Messiah. The event in which they delivered Israel is not necessarily the beginning of their service as a judge, though it well could be that event which elevates them in status as was clearly the case with Gideon. I believe that this is likely where the encounter between Eglon and Ehud took place. The quality that enabled a person selected by Yahweh to be a judge was charisma, a spiritual power that enabled the judge to influence, lead, and control the people caught . Ussher however seems to have ignored Jephthahs letter fixing the defeat of the Ammonites 300 years after the conquest of Gilead (299 years after the beginning of the conquest of Canaan). This generally results in the Psalms of the former being one number behind the latter. These minor judges were: Shamgar 3:31, Tola 10:1-2, Jair 10:3-5, Ibzan 12:8-10, Elon 12:11-12, and Abdon 12:13-15. Preliminary note. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. First, no duration is given for the time from the beginning of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua until the first oppression recorded in Judges. This gives a total of 48 years, Place Tola and Jair in parallel and in sequence with the oppression. 1. Both options are identical from Moses through to the beginning of Othniels judgeship. However, our understanding of the Egyptian presence in Canaan in the time of Amenhotep III is such that it would not permit an outside power from beyond the Euphrates (i.e., Cushan) to have control far enough south to oppress Israel. Map Store - Download High-Res Maps and Images, 2023, Bible History | All rights reserved, Bibliography Resources on the Old Testament, Chronology of the Prophets in the Old Testament. Recall that this was the maximum compression option that we initially put to the side. As we move to the later part of Judges and into I Samuel the primary oppressor becomes the Philistines. (Ruth also lived during this period). Rohl and others have subsequently proposed an alternative chronology going all the way back to the time of the flood. Paul assigns Saul a 40-year reign in his speech at Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13:21. This period started with the leadership of Moses and finished with Samuel officiating over the crowning of Saul. If we interpret these 40-year intervals as structural and representing a generation (as opposed to being exact numbers), then we can adjust them downward. An inscription found in the Berlin Museum, believed to be from a statue pedestal, contains a name ring that reads Israel. Deborah 5. [4] See https://patternsofevidence.com/2021/09/24/inscription-provides-bible-archaeology-link/ or more detail. Defeated the Midianites with 300 men - Judges 6-8. When we get into the detailed chronology of this period we will look at potential ways to handle this. Shagmar. Nolen Jones approach would allow for a full 40 years under Gideon while still allowing a short gap between Jair and Jephthah. The timeline on them is not completely clear, as some may have been contemporaries with others, and they were not necessarily over all of Israel. It also places the 40-year oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli. While the specifics of the period of the judges are fuzzy, scripture does provide clear and easily datable boundaries for this period. For nearly four hundred years following the invasion ofCanaanin c.1406BC,Israelwas a loose confederation of self-governing tribes. [9] Nolen Jones, Dr. Floyd, The Chronology of the Old Testament, Green Forest, Arkansas, Master Books, 2017, pp71-94. I see the Book of Judges as consisting of four distinct segments: The Introduction, the Early Period, the Late Period, and the Appendix. This series of events is harder to date as it does not have a parallel in Joshua. Ehud was the second Judge of Israel. King Jehoiachin. My sense is that this is too long and it is also inconsistent with our approach for the rest of the period, Place Abimilech, Tola, and Jair end to end and overlap Jair with the oppression. The next oppression of 18 years is under Eglon, king of Moab. 40 years. The power of the Hyksos kings remains in the Egyptian delta, extending up the coast to the southern Levant, but not into the hill country of Israel. These deliverances are separated by a period of peace, ostensibly the time required for the judge to pass on and the people to fall back into sin. The alignment between the Judges timeline and the New Chronology is shown in Figure 9. On this timeline the Exodus occurs in the reign of Amenhotep II, somewhere after his Year 9, his last recorded campaign in Canaan. Large Map of Israel in the First Century - Click around on the Cities. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. 3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel . However, the behavior displayed by the children of Israel is similar to that found in Joshua 22:10-34. On the surface, it seems straightforward enough, recording the acts of each judge and the time between events from the time of Joshua until just before the events of I Samuel.

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list of judges in the bible in order

list of judges in the bible in order